This pumpkin spice baked apple chips recipe has no sugar and no oil added. You don’t need a food dehydrator to make this simple two-ingredient autumn treat! The natural sweetness of in-season fruit makes a tasty snack without added sugar. Make this one on the weekend so you can enjoy the smell of cinnamon and other toasty fall spices while it bakes.
Do you still have some apples leftover from apple picking? This pumpkin spice baked apple chips recipe makes an easy snack that will leave you savoring the flavors of fall.
I would tell you how many days these keep for, but I don’t think I’ll ever find out. My family tends to start picking them off of the baking tray the minute they come out of the oven. For some reason, serving apples as chips makes them far more appealing than eating them fresh.
If you have family members who do not choose fruits or veggies as a snack, try this recipe out. There are no added sugars here. I find that not adding sugar to fruit helps me to appreciate the natural sweetness in the fruit more.
Palates can change. Keep trying if you don’t enjoy apples and other fruits without adding sugar.
My favorite apple for snacking, baking, and this chip recipe is the Cortland apple. This variety is firm, crisp, and sweet-tart, making it a great all-purpose apple. They are also resistant to browning, perfect for those who want apple slices that stay fresh-looking.
We used to live about 30 minutes from Cortland, NY, where Cortland apples were in abundance. Now that we are in Connecticut, Cortlands are more difficult to find in grocery stores. Thankfully many of our local orchards grow them, and we make sure to stock up when we go picking.
A few tips for recipe success
It is important to cut the apples into slices of even thickness if you want them to finish cooking at the same time. An easy way to accomplish this is with a mandoline. If you are like me and worry that you’ll slice a finger with a mandoline, a regular kitchen knife can work too.
If you don’t have pumpkin spice in your kitchen, a blend of cinnamon with a touch of nutmeg can serve as a substitute. Either way, the aroma of spices while baking these pumpkin spice apple chips will tantalize your senses. Enjoy!
And now for the disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The calorie information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to this post. Let’s get cooking!
Pumpkin Spice Apple Chips – No Sugar Added!
Ingredients
- 2 medium apples
- 1 t pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Wash and core the apples using an apple corer.
- Slice the apples into ⅛"-thick rings. Aim to slice them into an even thickness so that they will all be finished cooking at the same time.
- Arrange the apple rings in a single layer on the lined baking tray. (Tip: Any rings that are slightly thicker than the rest should be placed on the outer edges of the baking tray. This will help them to cook faster.) Sprinkle all of the rings with ½ t of the pumpkin pie spice.
- Keeping the rings in a single layer, flip them over and sprinkle with the remaining ½ t of the pumpkin pie spice.
- Place the tray with the apple rings in the oven.
- Bake for approximately 1.5 hours, flipping every 30 minutes. They are finished drying when they are crisp (or slightly flexible) and not mushy or moist at all. They should be a light tan color like in the photos. You may need to remove some of the chips from the oven before others if they were not cut evenly. If you cut the slices too thick, they may need an even longer baking time.
- Remove from oven and let cool. Yum!
Notes
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). This recipe gets a bump to level 3 because it is dried fruit. If you have a weight loss goal, I recommend sticking mostly with fresh fruit rather than consuming dried fruit or fruit juice. Dried fruit has had water removed, while fruit juice has had the fiber removed. Fiber and water are the components in fruits and vegetables that add volume to help keep you full. That's why I suggest you stick to fresh, whole fruits if you are trying to create a calorie deficit for weight loss. I like this recipe as an afterschool snack for fruit and veggie-resistant children. Dried fruit may be appealing to children and help meet high energy needs related to growth and development.
Nutrition
What is your favorite apple variety? Let me know in the comments! (If your answer is Red Delicious, I am afraid we can no longer be friends. Haha)
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